During the last month, people in my household were treated as property by service providers a couple of times, based on the assumption by corporations managing service businesses that all current customers “belong” to the business.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal on Thursday announced its 2013 40 under Forty honorees, a list that includes young business and community leaders from throughout the Twin Cities. The Opus College of Business has made its mark on the list.

If you’ve wondered how your “soft skills” compare to other business people, GMAC, the Graduate Management Admissions Council, is offering an assessment called Reflect. It is designed to help you understand your leadership strengths and areas of opportunity.

On March 1, teams from the full-time MBA program at the University of St. Thomas’ Opus College of Business competed in the fifth annual CEBC Ethics Case Competition, teams explored the topic of “Video Gaming: Economic, Legal and Ethical Considerations” from a business, legal and ethical framework.

I have been able to meet hundreds of students who share similar goals but have very diverse backgrounds and work in various industries, writes Sarah Buell ’09 M.B.A. Out of those connections, I have formed lifelong friendships and established future networking connections.

To show knowledge of the company you hope to obtain employment with, research is key. While knowing their mission statement is a great start, the research should venture much farther than that. Interviewers expect that research of the company has been completed, but in most cases, research of the interviewer themselves should also be done.

The presence of female and minority leaders in America today has some people thinking that gender and racial/ethnic identity no longer matter in business and society today. In fact, these issues have just become muted and difficult to talk about due to political correctness and fear

Nominees for the Julie Hays Teaching Award should demonstrate exceptional dedication as well as extraordinary skills and success at enhancing students’ ability to think critically, act wisely and advance the common good by educating students and working professionals to become effective, ethical business leaders and to be constructive contributors to society.

Last week many fans of the popular TV series Shark Tank saw the presentation of a not-so-new concept by a woman named Jessica. Jeska Shoes specializes in the development and design of women’s shoes with interchangeable heels and other accessories. She offered a 30% stake for $70,000 equity in her company but she ended up giving away 70% of the company for that same amount to Daymond John.

What does it take to be a leader in health care? For Wade Blomgren, regional business manager at Roche Diagnostics, the answer lies in the ability to collaborate across all facets of the healthcare system.

It is no surprise that Minneapolis has been named one of the best cities for women entrepreneurs, according to a study conducted by NerdWallet, a financial literacy website. Here’s just a small sample of women entrepreneurs who’ve come out of the Opus College of Business and launched successful businesses.

On February 14, I was taken aback while watching the press conference announcing the new president of the University of St. Thomas, Dr. Julie Sullivan. Not by anything she or the other participants said or did, but by a question from a reporter. He asked: “How will your role as wife and mother influence, if at all, your presidency?

Forbes lists the top 14 habits employees have that could end up costing any employee his or her job. While nail biting, gum chewing and knuckle cracking are annoying, they aren’t necessarily pink slip worth. Read through the list below to see if you need to make some changes to any traits you may have inherited over the years that could lead to your demis

"How do you sign your business emails? Some keep it simple: name and contact info. That's short and sweet enough. And then there are the more expressive types who include favorite URLs, famous quotes, and emoticons. How you conclude your email can affect how you're perceived," said Barbara Bogaev.

One of the most amazing experiences in my Evening UST MBA was a J-term study abroad trip to London, U.K., writes Braydon Andrews '11 M.B.A. The course was Risk Management in Global Firms, and we enjoyed being taught by a different instructor each day.

Should Wall Street be afraid of the new rules established by the Dodd-Frank Act? For more than 30 years until the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, the hedge-fund industry had resisted attempts by the Securities and Exchange Commission to register hedge-fund managers.

Graduate business students and alumni are invited to attend Master’s Pub with presenter Medora Danz, vice president of Blu Dot brand. Danz will discuss the company’s mission to bring good design for the masses, and the unique and pragmatic methods used to reach this goal.

Super Bowl Sunday has become more than just a day of (great) football and partying with family and friends. To businesses, it’s a $3.8 million investment in a 30-second spot and hoping that somehow the message will be delivered in the midst of the clutter. To consumers, it’s about which ad is the funniest or most memorable.